PowerPoint can be a dynamic, fun, and entertaining way to engage your audience and provide them with valuable information. We’ve probably all been in one or two standout meetings where we were mesmerized by something unique or interesting.
Unfortunately, these are the “unicorns” that are rare. Most of the time, we shift uncomfortably in our seats and wish it would just be over. However, this slideshow wasted a lot of the creator’s time and didn’t achieve the desired effect.
It’s sad, but true. When it comes to keeping your audience’s attention, most presentations fall short. So how can you make your next presentation a huge success instead of a waste of time?
1. Remember your purpose
First and foremost, your purpose is to communicate an idea and give your audience something valuable. While preparing, you should constantly be asking questions like; “How does this part of my presentation bring value to people?”
This will help you stay on track and ensure that what you talk about is relevant, valuable, and concise.
2. Know your audience
No matter how exciting, interesting, or unique the content of your presentation is, if you push it too high or too low, your audience will get bored. If it’s too hard for them to understand, they’ll disengage and start thinking about all the fun things they want to do on the weekend. If it’s too easy, it’s even worse — they’ll feel embarrassed. Some people even refuse to think about it.
The same topic is presented differently to different audiences (children, middle-aged people, the elderly, etc.). When editing the layout and copywriting of the presentation, you need to consider the characteristics of the audience and their way of thinking, and output in a targeted manner.
3. Give people a reason to care
At the beginning of your presentation, you need to show why this is relevant and valuable. Explain your thesis and arguments or outline what people will get out of it.
Without this, your audience may feel lost or worry that this is not for them. At the same time, you can explain your expertise and why you are able to produce this content, which adds credibility to the presentation. Because no one wants to pay attention to someone who brags about himself.
4. Consider the visuals
Slide after slide of boring statistics and tons of text… you’ll hypnotize your audience, and not in a good way. Although many companies have strict rules about colors, logos, and branding for presentations, there should be nothing stopping you from using eye-catching images.
Common photos on the web are often boring (so avoid them), but you can find dynamic visual aids or AI tools on free sites like Pixabay, Bestppt. Just make sure they’re relevant to your point and don’t distract users from what you’re saying.
5. Make a lasting impression
You only have a few seconds to make a lasting impression — during the presentation, the layout will always affect the viewer. So it is important to make sure your fonts, layout, color, pictures and other design elements are harmonious.
But not everyone knows UI design, so you can choose Bestppt. It provides a large number of beautiful templates, and can use AI to automatically generate slide copy to help you improve your work efficiency.
6. Diversification
If you don’t vary your presentation during the presentation, it can become boring. This is a big deal, even if you are saying something interesting, you will start to bore your audience.
You need to learn to use different sentence structures to express your point. Asking questions, stating problems or using ‘!’ can make the user feel the emotion you are expressing.
7. Interaction is key
We’ve talked a lot about your audience and how they perceive your questions. What we haven’t mentioned yet is that they’re not just receiving information — they can be participants in the conversation.
Plan interactions into your presentation. Ask them questions, get them thinking during the presentation, and even have them talk to the person sitting next to them. This is especially important during long meetings because it changes the atmosphere and re-engages tired brains.
8. Expect the unexpected
In short, you need to prepare questions. You’re already an expert in your field, so it can be hard to determine what people want to know. Ask your friends or colleagues to write down a list of questions they want to know beforehand so you can prepare your answers. It will help you avoid feeling lost or unsure during your presentation.
Finally, good luck! Remember that your audience is here to listen to you. They care about what you have to say. By following these points, develop an engaging and valuable presentation that will have your audience watching the entire PowerPoint slideshow with that “wow” feeling you hope for.
